We got three weeks left after today.  Who will step up and show they're big time, and who will fall behind the rest of the pack and just wait for a high draft pick?

First, my Panthers.  Carolina can all but lock the NFC South up with a win over Tampa Bay today.  Considering they blew them out of the water in the first game this year, I don't expect that much to be different.  As long as Foster can rumble through Tampa Bay's jurassic front four, I don't see any problems.

On to the rest of the week.  Is it me, or does it seem as if everybody in the national sports media is trying to hype up Jacksonville for their game against Indianapolis?  I mean, get real.  Jacksonville's defense normally gives Peyton Manning problems, but they've always done enough to get over the hump.  And David Gerrard isn't ready to face off against the two best defensive ends in the league.  G'luck son.

I'm expecting Chicago/Pittsburgh to be an all-out war.  We'll probably see some highlight-reel hits in that game.  You'll probably see someone being helped off the field.  It's going to get ugly at times, but it's ultimately going to come down to how many points Roethlisberger can score vs. how many Chicago's defense can score.  If the Steelers win, it's going to have to be in the air, because I don't see the Bus having enough gas in the tank to roll over that defense.

The game to watch?  Kansas City vs. Dallas.  Winner stays in the playoff hunt, loser gets January off.  Plain and simple.

Here's my picks:

- Pittsburgh over Chicago

- Cincinnati over Cleveland

- Tennessee over Houston

- Indianapolis over Jacksonville

- New England over Buffalo

- Oakland over Jets

- Sex Boat over the Rams

- Carolina over Tampa Bay

- Giants over Philly

- Seattle over San Francisco

- Skins over Arizona

- Denver over Baltimore

- Kansas City over Dallas

- San Diego over Miami

- Green Bay over Detroit

And on Monday Night:

- Atlanta over New Orleans

That's it.  No upsets.  Well, some would say that Pittsburgh beating Chicago would be considered one, but I digress.

Key games this week are Indy/Jax, Carolina/Tampa Bay, Dallas/Kansas City, Pittsburgh/Chicago, Minnesota/St. Louis, and Atlanta/New Orleans (actually that should be a horrible game, but the Aints played Atlanta hard last week, and a loss could knock the Falcons out of a chance for the playoffs).

Enjoy the games this week.